





tt^ttsentf H IffiiigiwI I 



THE MOST EVENTFUL PERIOD IN AMERICAN HISTORY. 



TOVVNSEND'S NATIONAL RECORD 

Concerning the Great Civil War and its Consequences^ 





Considering the recent events that attracted the 
attention of the world towards American affairs 
— the extraordinary conflict that thus particularly 
affected the political, military and social con- 
dition of our National Union, and, incidentally, 
the rights and interests of mankind generally 
— we may well revive recollections of th.^ patriotic 
movements in this Commercial Metropolis, while 
the rebel guns were yet thundering against Fort 
Sumter — when our Citizens first assembled to 
provide means for sustaining a National Govern- 
ment.t hen bankrupt, and threatened with de- 
struction — and when one of the speakers in our 
Chamber of Commerce, James Gallatin (him- 
self the son of a statesman prominent in estab- 
lishing American Freedom), enthusiastically in- 
voked his countrymen to arouse to the full 
importance of the crisis — saying that " History 
will make record of our proceedings, and that 
record will be consulted by future generations for 
encouragement, for instruction, and for warning 
through all time." 

And right well also may we remember the last 
words of the gallant Winthrop, one of the earliest 
martyrs of the battle-field, when his patriotic spirit 
breathed a hope that " some competent person 
would keep a careful record of events, for we were 
making History with lightning speed." 

But neither Gallatin, nor Winthrop, nor any 
other of the most sanguine men of that time, could 
then have formed any adequate idea of the long 
duration, the vast proportions, and immense con- 
sequences of the war thus forced upon us, for Na- 
tional self-preservation. \ 

Even now — after having witnessed in this last 

ecade more varied events and mightier results 
than flowed from any former century, it is diffi- 
cult for any one to conceive that any private 
citizen could have been found bold enough to 
undertake the task, and enthusiastic and brave 
enough to persevere amid extraordinary difficul- 
ties in forming a " Record " far surpassing any- 
thing which the above mentioned speakers could 
have imagined. 

And yet, it is in the power of any intelligent 
oitizen, by inspecting Townsend's great work in 
the "Society Library Building" in University 
Place, New York, to witness a most faithful and 
impartial " Record " of every event and person 



prominent enough for notice of any kind, on either 
side, during the convulsions of that prolific period, 
A " Record" which is a library in itself, creditable 
to the nation as well as to its author — a work so 
remarkable, that no one who has not actually 
examined it can have any adequate idea, except 
from concurrent statements of well-known Citi- 
zens, and Public Journals, and prominent Socie- 
ties, extracts from which we prefer to submit to 
our readers rather than attempt to describe, what 
is so vividly portrayed by so many others, in 
whose judgment the whole community have per- 
fect confidence. Differing as they may on poli- 
tical questions, it will be seen by the quotations 
we have impartially made, that all the writers 
and speakers concur cordially, in bearing testi- 
mony to the character of " Townsend's Record, 
and Encyclopaedia of the Great Rebellion, and 
its Consequences." 

After glancing at the Historical Collection 
which may be there seen — or even after reading 
the many concurrent testimonials herewith pre- 
sented, the reader will doubtless cordially ap- 
plaud and concur in the patriotic and generous 
feeling with which several prominent gentlemen 
are combining' to promote the public interests by 
helping Mr. Townsend in completing the great 
National Work, to which he has devoted 
nearly thirteen years of life and many thousands 
of dollars. The gentlemen to whom we allude 
are Governor Dix, Chief Justice Chase, John 
Jacob Astor, Peter Cooper, Moses Taylor, Mar- 
shall O. Roberts, Frederick De Peyster, Samuel 
L. Mitchell, Theodore Roosevelt, Adrian Iselin, 
Edward Cooper, John Taylor Johnston, George 
B. M'Clellan, Wilson G. Hunt, Mayor Have- 
meyer, Frank E. Howe, S. L. M. Barlow, Cyrus 
W. Field, Professor Morse, George Opdyke, 
John P. Townsend, William F. Gary, S. B. Chit- 
tenden, Benjamin H. Hutton, Jeremiah Curtis 
and Peter Townsend, who have each contributed 
$ioo towards making up a sum of at least 
$10,000 to promote the completion of this extraor- 
dinary undertaking — those gentlemen expressing, 
in the subscription paper, their "appreciation of 
the great service rendered to the cause of History 
by Mr. Thomas S. Townsend, of this city, in his 
self-assumed labors, for the benefit of this, and suc- 
ceeding generations, and as an evidence that his 






fellow-citizens are not ungrateful towards those 
who originate and carr}' out enterprises resulting 
in gn-at public good — to enable him to complete the 
remaining portion of the work upon whicli he has 
been so long and laboriously engaged." Gov. 
Dix says, in one of his letters, that histoically, 
the "value of this work is inestimable;" and it 
may be incidentally remarked that the pecuniary 
value, estimated by men who know the peculiar 
value attached to such "a Historical Treasury, 
by the managers of Great Libraries through the 
world, is variously set down at between $So,ooo 
and .f 100,000. And in connection with the eoiiple- 
tion of the work, it may be added, that very much 
of the most important matter connected with the 
war and its consequences, is even now (1873) ap- 
pearing in the dailj^ prints, in controversies be- 
tween men who were prominent on both sides, 
Confiiierate as well as National, during the whole 
ot the Civil Strife — as, for instance, between 
Jeilerson Davis and ex-Senator Foote, and also 
between Gen. Sherman and Gen. Wade Hampton 
concerning the burning of the city of Columbia, 
&c. — and proper regard for the truth of history, for 
"justice to all sides," renders it desirable that all 
Such matter shall be fully included in the 
'■ National Record." 

The names of Contributors for this patriotic 
purpose — a purpose in which the Nation at large 
is interested, far beyond Mr. Townsend indivi- 
dually — are inscribed as fast as received, on 
Memorial Tablets, besides being acknowledged 
tiirough the newspapers — 'SO that the American 
People, may know what citizens have aided in 
the completion of this great Record ok their 
Country's Ann.\i.s : And the veneration with 
which society remembers the prominent men who 
anywise aided the patriotic cause during our 
Revolutionary Era, clearly indicates that tliese 
"Memorial Tablets". will acquire increasing re- 
spect as time rolls by, in the estimation of the 
public, as well as of the families and descen- 
dants of the Contributors, to whose patriotic spirit 
these Mementoes, — more permanent than marble, 
— will form enduring monuments. 

Among the well-known gentlemen who have, 
through a dozen of years, watched the progress 
of this enterprise with the liveliest interest, the 
Rev. S. Iren.kls Prime may be early mentioned, 
as his knowledge (like that of the Rev. Henry W. 
Bellows, Gov. Dix, and a few others), " began with 
the beginning;" and his remarks about the char- 
acteristics of the work, may serve as an ap[)ro- 
priate introduction to the quotations made from 
the opinions expressed by many others. Dr. 
Prime made the following statement in one of his 
recent editorials in the New York Ohsen'er : 

" Upon the election of Mr. Lincoln to tlie 
Presidency, in i860, when the first mutterings of 
ilie coming storm were heard, Mr. Thomas S. 
Townsend, (son of the late John R. Townsend, of 
this city,) conceived the idea of collecting, and 
arranging in a form for ready reference, the 
chronicle of current events as it was given in the 
daily papers, as well as the comments and ad- 
dresses made, when the particulars were fresh in 



the minds of the writers and speakers of the day. 
With a clear perception of the merits of the metro- 
politan press, he considered that he should find 
in the pages of the New York journals, either in 
an original or extracted form, everything that 7uas 
loorth preset-c'ing ; for everything really of conse- 
quence, that appears in the papers of other cities 
some way, or some time, finds its way into the 
papers of New York city. Therefore, after care- 
ful consideration and examination of the ground, 
the author decided that between the objections 
of a too limited range, as not being exhaustive, 
and of a size too great to be really serviceable, 
the golden mean would be nearest found in con- 
fining the work to the Metropolitan Press." * * 

This Historical Record and Encyclopaedia, be- 
gun in i860 (when Secession had openly com- 
menced), contains nearly everything concerning 
the great national conflict — not merel)- down to 
the end of battle-fields, but to the close of the 
equally important strife connected with the 
re-organization of the National Union, by the re- 
admission of the Seceded States in 1870. And 
in this connection it is essential to remember, 
that much very valuable information concerning 
men and things on all sides during the war, 
North as well as South, has been attainable only 
since the close of the war, as it has been elicited 
by discussions in Congress, in Legislatures, in 
the public journals, in Historical Societies, and in 
the controversies of persons engaged on both 
sides, since the close of armed strife. " In short," 
says Dr. Prime, in the (9/'j-t'r<v;- editorial, "Town-, 
send's Record contains nearly everything relating 
directly or indirectly to the great conflict, that has 
appeared in the New York Herald, llines, Tri- 
bune, JVorld, Daily News, Ez'ening Post, Express, 
Commercial Advejiiser, Soldier s Friend, Harpers' 
and Frank Leslie's papers — and also includes 
such important publications as the ' Roll of 
Honor,' giving the name and station of every 
individual who fell in the national service ; the 
' Wdunteer Army Register,' giving the name and 
station of every one of the hundreds of thousands 
of men engaged at any time in that service ; with 
the ' Sanitary Memoirs' indicating the vast and 
excellent operations of the National Sanitary 
Commission, and of all who actively co-operated 
in its good and great work. ' No party bias has 
been allowed to interfere with the thorough com- 
pilation of the descriptive narratives, comments 
and reviews of correspondents, journalists, and 
public men of every political creed' — whether of 
the North or South." 

The Work occupies about one hundred im- 
mense folio volumes — forming a library in itself, 
and embracing as much matter, printed and 
written, as could be placed in about a thousand 
volumes of ordinary' octavo size. As the arrange- 
ment is in four columns on each page, a curious 
statistician " calculated " that " if the columns 
were arranged in a continuous line, they would 
measure nearly a hundred miles." 

" The preparation of these volumes of the 
Record" says the Observer, "has been, however, 
the least laborious portion of the work — only one- 




tenth of the time of the compiler having been 
occupied upon it — while nine-tenths have been 
devoted to the Encyclopirdia," which is an analysis 
of, and guide to, the contents of this immense 
collection. 

"To study the history of any particular subject 
by means of the Record 7i\one, would be impossi- 
ble," says Dr. Prime, in the Observer — "there- 
fore, in order to make this great mass of infor- 
mation available, the compiler decided that the 
i/tercaiifi/e pri)iciple of keeping accounts was the trite 
one — to regard his Record in the light of a mer- 
chant's day book, then to journalize the contents 
of the Record, and from the journals to redistrib- 
ute the entries to their appropriate departments 
in what a merchant would term his ledger, but 
wliich the compiler calls his Encyclopcvdia. Each 
fact in a report, or a letter, or in an editorial, has 
been separately entered in the Journal. This 
portion of the work requires a journal of six 
hundred pages, to comprise an epitome of each 
of the hundred volumes of the Record ; or about 
fifty thousand pages of .writing to journalize the 
full number of volumes of the Record. These 
journals or waste-books are removed, when their 
entries are systematically transferred to the 
various departments in the Encyclopjcdia." 

But " we now come to the most important part 
of this work," says Dr. Prime, in the Observer. 
" The Encyclopsedia is not an index but a com- 
pilation, a compendium of the Record, a state- 
ment of each subject ; so that the manifold and 
intricate episode* of the war — its origin, progress 
and results, can be developed instantaneously, 
and in all their relations, whether the subject 
relates to military matters, or finance, foreign 
relations. State fidelit}^ or individual patriotism, 
b}' word or act. Every General, Regiment, State, 
and Battle, has its department ; where will be 
found a Chronological Record ; also the Blockade, 
Privateering, the Army (Federal and Rebel), the 
Navy — all are related with impartial complete- 
ness, and will be found to satisfy all inquiry 
instantaneously ; and it might be called the 
' Doomsday Book' of our Nation's History for the 
last decade." 

This Encyclopaedia, when duly completed, will 
comprise about twenty-five Volumes, each of 
twelve hundred pages of manuscript, equal in 
size to the largest bank ledger — all elegantly 
bound and lettered. And the " key to the whole 
work (Record, Encyclopjedia, &c.), is comprised 
in one volume wliich gives ready reference to 
the various statements in the whole collection." 
* * * " It is a wonderful work," Dr. Prime 
wrote on another occasion, " and the rich, the 
patriotic, and the benevolent, should combine to 
preserve it for this Country and this Cit}'." The 
Observer adding, at another time, that " it is 
the greatest literary curiosity, and most remarka- 
ble compilation of the age" — "a wonder of lite- 
rary and mechanical labor, which deserves to be 
preserved as a great treasure-house of history, 
accessible for future ages." 

" It has become a habit to say that the War of 
the Rebellion is forgotten, because men's minds 



are occupied with new incidents and events, ' 
said the New York Evening Post in one of its 
recent issues (August, 1873). "This is not, and 
ought not to be true ; for, though we have ceased 
to talk of the war as a subject of immediate and 
pressing interest, yet, as the most valuable and the 
most trying expeiience in the history of the nation, 
it can never be lost sight of. It was the com- 
mencement of a new era, of which we are as yet 
only on the threshold : its influence on the char- 
acter and the prosperity of the people, we are 
as yet still beginning to feel, and the results of 
that influence we cannot yet even calculate. It 
was an education to half a million of young men, 
whose first stern lessons in the duties of life were 
learned in the camp, and the battle-field, and the 
convictions which took them there ; and in one- 
half the States of the Union, it utterly subverted 
the social s)'Stemsand relations by which millions 
were governed, and left the people to learn and 
live by a new civilization." * * * "The war 
came, and with it the new time. It proclaimed 
' liberty throughout the land, and to all the inhabi- 
tants thereof ;' and the party of Slavery perished 
when Slavery was abolished." * * * " It does 
not in the least matter whether this great fact of 
history is acknowledged or discerned ; the great 
fact, nevertheless, remains and asserts itself. We 
cannot turn the wheels of time backward, or 
restore an order of things which is passed away 
and done with. To the new order, events are 
adjusting and will adjust themselves, whether 
men and ' organs ' say yea or nay." * * * 

In a former issue, the same journal (the Even- 
ing Post) said— "The Rebellion has caused the 
production of more books than any other event 
in the history of the world. The amount of 
paper and print that has been consumed in the 
issue of the different volumes and pamphlets 
upon the military, social, and political aspects of 
our civil strife, is immense, and copies have been 
sown broadcast throughout the land ; but, when 
the time shall have arrived for the production of 
an impartial and dispassionate history of the 
war, it is not to these -works that the historian will 
be likely to look for his facts, but rather to the 
narrative of occurrences as they appeared in the 
columns of the daily press. To arrange and 
classify, ready for use, the material he will there 
find, would be so great a labor that it would 
alone be enough to deter many from entering 
upon the task. This 70ork, however, has happily 
been done by Mr. Townsend during the progress of 
events, in a manner so complete and methodical, 
that all who in future years, either to satisfy per- 
sonal -curiosity or in the performance of literary 
labors, desire information upon any matters closely 
connected with or incidental to the Rebellion, 
will be enabled to find it as easily as they would 
search for a word in the dictionary or a name in the 
directory. But few persons are aware of this fact ; 
and we therefore give below some account of a 
work which is at once comprehensive, impartial 
and unique." 

After a lucid explanation of the varied con- 
tents of the Collection, the Evening Post concludes 



by saying that " it is important that this work 
should be placed where it will be secure against 
fire, and open to public inspection. Should it be 
destroyed, it would be impossible to replace it." 
* * * "It may be doubted if any great his- 
torical period has ever before been so profusely, 
and we may say exhaustively, illustrated, as our 
great Civil War in Mr. Townsend's truly mag- 
nificent books. Mr. Townsend can never be 
adequately rewarded for his self-sacrificing zeal 
and perseverance, but he should not be permitted 
to lose the work and money that he has employed 
in this compilation for the public benefit." 
A special Committee of the " New York His- 

/torical Society," consisting of Messrs. Charles 
P. Daly, Charles P. Kirkland, William Adams, 
James W. Beekman, and E. Boudinot Ser\-oss — 
after thorough examination of the Townsend Col- 
lection, reported that " there has been formed 
from this Record, in a compact form, a perfect 
Encyclop.'EDI.-^, enabling any one to make an im- 
mediate reference to any subject appertaining to per- 
sons, places or things, from the incipient steps 
taken in the Rebellion, down to the present mo- 
ment. (About one-tenth of the time of the Com- 
piler has been occupied on the Record, and nine- 
tenths on the Enxyclop.edia.) This work, judg- 
ing not only from our examination, and the schol- 
arly acquirements of the author, but fitly-spoken 
words of commendation from the Union League 
Club, the historians Motley and Bancroft, Dr. 
Cogswell, the Press, and by societies kindred to 
this, is certainly unique, not only on account of 
its gigantic proportions, but its singular impar- 
tiality — Mr. Townsend having abstained from 
showing any political preferences, while engaged 
in the compilation of the descriptive narratives, 
comments and reviews of correspondents, jour- 
nalists, and public men of every creed and sta- 
tus. This voluminous Record plainly portrays 
the vastness of the Rebellion. Mr. Townsend, at 
the commencement of his labors, was induced to 
believe in a long-continued battle for the Union 
and the integrity of the Federal Compact, but at 
the same time he little anticipated the extent to 
which this ponderous work would reach ; yet, 
cheered by the sympathy and well-wishes of 
friends, he has, with a spirit of commendable 
determination, labored constantly from its incep- 
tion, and, if we can judge by the past, will close 
the work faithfully, should his life and health be 

' spared. We are at a loss to place an estimate as 
to the intrinsic value of this work, which it is but 
fair to presume can never be duplicated, but must 
remain distinctive and unique in its character — a 
thesaurus of facts, which the future historian will 
collate and combine into permanent and philo- 

. Sophie testimony." * * * In approving the 
Report, from which extracts are here given, the 
New York Historical Society, after eulogistic 
remarks from various distinguished members, 
expressed the prevalent opinion by passing the 
emphatic resolution elsewhere quoted. 

Ex-Governor Edwin D. Morgan, well known 
as chief magistrate of the State of New York in 
a trying crisis, was one of the earliest approvers 



of the plan adopted for impartially preserving all 
records of the late " times that tried men's souls." 
Opinions elsewhere expressed show the satisfac- 
tion with which Gen. Dix, and the Rev. Henry 
W. Bellows (President of the National Sanitarj-^ 
Commission) regarded the project and its prose- 
cution ; but the opinions expressed in a com 
munication signed jointlj' by them, and ex-Gov. 
Morgan, contain some views which should not 
be overlooked in estimating the characteristics 
of the enterprize. 

"Having been familiar with the nature and 
objects of Mr. Thomas S. Townsend's great 
work," say these gentlemen, " we take pleasure 
in making public our appreciation of it, and 
especially in calling the attention of authors, and 
publishers of works of a historical or statistical 
character relating to the subject,to the importance 
of sending to Mr. T., for insertion, duplicate 
copies, in sheets or otherwise, of all such pub- 
lications. By insertion in Mr. T.'s work, (which 
is like a Grand Repository, and incapable of 
publication or reproduction,) the results of their 
labors are preserved and tabulated, in connection 
with all which his industry has gathered together ; 
and when completed, there will be aflTorded, for 
the future reference of all authors, what we con- 
sider will be the only complete statistical and docu- 
mentary record of the Rebellion, its origin and 
consequences ; and which must eventually be of 
prime necessity in the preparation of any clear 
and complete history of the War," &c. (Signed — 
E. D. Morgan, John A. Dix, and Henry W. 
Bellows.) 

The Hon. George Opdyke, who was one of the 
earliest in the Chamber of Commerce to urge an 
energetic support of the National Government in 
1861, and who was also Ma)'or of New York 
City during a most eventful period of the late 
troubles, says, in writing to a friend, " I have 
carefully examined Mr. Townsend's work ; and, 
having contributed to aid in its completion, can 
earnestly recommend your co-operation. It 
is well worthy of the encouragement of our 
citizens." 

And John P. Townsend, Esq., another Contri- 
butor, in a letter on the subject, urging a friend 
to unite in promoting the object, says — " I have 
freely contributed, and you may hereafter rejoice 
in having done likewise." 

The Hon. Edwards Pierrepont, writing to Mr. 
Stanton when Secretary of War, said — " Mr. 
Thos. S. Townsend has collected all possible 
information relating to the Rebellion. It is 
digested and indexed in about 100 large volumes. 
It seems to me invaluable." 

The Rev. Dr. Wm. F. Morgan, Rector of St. 
Thomas' Church, New York, writing to the Hon. 
Gideon Welles, when Secretary of the Navy, 
speaks of "The vast and comprehensive work 
upon which he [Mr. Townsend] has been so 
patiently engaged for many years. * * * Jt 
will be regarded as an invaluable acquisition by 
those who know its value, and by all who may 
have occasion to consult it." 

In the same practical spirit, a quotation may 



5 



be made from a letter indicating the manner in 
which the undertaking was viewed by gentle- 
men prominent in the National Sanitarj^ Com- 
mission — the President of that body, the Rev. 
Dr. Bellows, after his return from California just 
before the close of tlie war, congratulating Mr. T. 
upon being " still at work upon your [his] mag- 
nificent undertaking" — President Bellows adding 
— " I had the pleasure oi exploiting your ' labor of 
love' upon the Pacific coast, in several public ad- 
dresses, in which / illusiratcd the vastness of the 
war BY THE GRANDEUR OF ITS RECORD as prepared 
by your hands." On a later occasion. Dr. Bel- 
lows said — " I have always felt a deep interest in 
your work, and been willing to co-operate with 
others in securing a public purchaser." 

As a further specimen of the many inquiries 
and references concerning matters involved in 
the history of men and events during the late 
National troubles, some of these inquiries coming 
from Congressmen and others engaged in public 
affairs — it may be mentioned that, after long and 
unavailing efforts to obtain certain facts and docu- 
ments, General N. P. Banks, in 1870, wrote from 
the Capitol to Mr. Townsend in New York, to 
obtain (if possible) a copy of " a letter of Jefferson 
Davis which was said to have been written in 
May, 1862, on the subject of the possible evacua- 
tion of Richmond by the Confederate troops at 
that time" — and also about the dates of European 
movements concerning " the recognition of the 
Confederate States as belligerents." In acknow- 
ledging the receipt from Mr. Townsend of the 
information he wanted, General Banks wrote that 
he had " never before been able to find any per- 
son who had seen" the Davis letter. " I am very 
glad that you have been able to find so clear a 
trace of it, for I began to think, so little was it 
known, that I might have been mistaken myself 
in. regard to its contents," adding, that this Davis 
letter is " one of the most important publications 
of the war," and that " the preservation of such 
matters is a good evidence of the value of your 
Collection." 

A solitary example may illustrate the manifold 
ways in which the Townsend Records are re- 
ferred to concerning the interests and feelings 
of those who were privates in the ranks, as well 
as by prominent officers like Gen. Banks and 
others. In a recent letter, Mr. R. R. Knapp says 
to Mr. Townsend — " I have to thank you for the 
valuable information received through your En- 
cyclop/EDIa, regarding B. Beach Kennedy, for- 
merly of Company E, in the Sixth U. S. Cavalry. 
He is suffering from a wound received in 1862, 
and is refused a pension because he is unable to 
prove that he was wounded at Slatersville. I 
myself, a member of his company, was away on 
detached duty at the time, and can only testify 
to my knowledge and belief — others of the com- 
mand are scattered, no one knows where. The 
officer in command of the company at the time is 
out of the service, and all letters fail to reach him. 
And, but for your valuable information — even to 
day and date, this man, who well deserves the 
pension of his government, might die for the 



need of it. Again I thank you, and trust yo\x 
may receive the just reward for your untiring 
efforts to preserve for the country such a minute 
and clear history of the War of the Rebellion." 

And in this connection — speaking of practical 
utility and importance — the opinions of no gentle- 
man in an}' country are worthier of more earnest 
consideration than those uttered, after long and 
continued careful examination of the subject, by 
Dr. Cogswell, the organizer and first Superinten- 
dent of the AsTOR Library, who had better oppor- 
tunit}' than, probably, any other person ever enjoy- 
ed, in examining all the prominent Libraries of 
Europe as well as of America. My examination 
of your collection of original documents relating 
to the ruthless war, * * * impressed me 
with a high idea of its value." "//j- plan is 
excellent, and its execution, as far as I could judge 
from the time I was able to give to it, faithful 
and thorough. It appeared to include every official 
paper, both civil and military, that has appeared on 
either side during the Rebellion; and also all those 
relating to the dissensions with foreign nations on 
questions that have arisen in connection with 
it. As a chronological and synchronous record 
of the events, it is more minute, and more au- 
thentic than could be found in any other way; and 
as documentary material for the historian of those 
events, it is absolutely indispensable. Its volumi- 
nousness might render it inconvenient in use, but 
for \\.s< perfectly systematic arrangement, which, with 
its minute and complete index, OBVIATE ALL objec- 
tions on that score, and render the work as 
easy to be consulted as if it were comprised in a single 
volume. The manifest labor, time and cost, which 
must have been bestowed upon this great work," 
says Dr. Cogswell, in conclusion, "warrant the 
inference that it will not be duplicated ; and hence 
it is to be hoped it will belong to the Nation, 
and be deposited where it will be most convenient 
of access. * * * With many thanks to you 
for the opportunity afforded me of inspecting this 
rich and truly wonderful record of the Monster 
Rebellion, I am truly and respectfully yours, 
(signed) Jos. G. Cogswell." 

Mr. Henry O'Rielly (the projector and con- 
structor of the first Telegraph Range that connect- 
ed the different sections of the Union, and the 
editor of the first daily newspaper (in 1826) publish- 
ed between Albany and the Pacific Ocean), — who 
presented to the New York Historical Society 
the most valuable Collection of historical materi- 
als ev^r given to any institution, concerning 
American Progress, since the foundation of the 
Republic, — says, in a letter to Mr. Townsend : — 
" In manner and matter, your 'Historical Record 
and Encyclopaedia of the Great Civil War' is 
without parallel. It is quite as remarkable iii its 
way, as the extraordinary contest which it depicts. 
Never before were the annals of any Country re- 
corded with such fullness and impartiality— the 
statements and opinions of all parties concerned 
in the conflict, on all sides, rebel as well as loyal, 
being included, in addition to its multitudinous 
statements concerning military operations, and all 
persons named publicly in connection with them, 



6 



and to ihe popular action in conventions and 
public meetings, as well as to Legislative and 
Executive action in the General and State Gov- 
ernments. * * * The manner in which so 
many prominent men of nil parlies have commend- 
ed your work, and asked Legislative approval 
thereof by making it a part of the Public Archives, 
is the very highest testimonial to the success with 
which you have preserved everything requisite to 
satisfy impartial inquirers now, and in future ages 
— in this and every other State of the American 
Union. The generous tribute of such men, con- 
cerning j'our great work, is such as was never be- 
fore given by men of all parties, in reference to 
Historical Events of extraordinary character. * * 
* The work should be secured for permanent 
preservation and ready reference, where it would 
be most convenient for examination by the multi- 
tudes that will be always thronging from all parts 
of the Union to visit the Empire State and its 
Commercial Metropolis — as there is hardly a family 
or locality in the land for which there may not he 
found some records concerning the share which 
their respective relatives and regions took in the 
great contest that so long convulsed the nation — a 
contest the most extraordinary in the annals of 
civilization, as it involved peculiar interests and 
principles never before distinctly submitted to the 
action of National and State authorities, and the 
arbitrament of arms. * * * Besides all this, 
your great work marks an epoch in the form of 
Public Records — the novelty of its plan, its admira- 
ble arrangement for ready reference by all inquirers, 
evincing a degree of genius as well as of patient, 
sagacious and persevering labor, that should 
secure for you a degree of public appreciation, 
and of pecuniary recompense, commensurate with 
the unique and important service you have ren- 
dered to the Truth of History, and to the Annals 
of your Country. * * * You have literall}^ 
made an important mark on History — furnishing 
an example worthy of being emulated in the 
preservation of annals of a// great Cities, States 
and Nations." 

Alluding to such commendations of " the 
merits of Mr. Townsend's voluminous and inval- 
uable Record of the Rebellion, as collected by 
him from every source of contemporary informa- 
tion " (to quote its own language), the New York 
World said that " no such mass of material for the 
future historian has been gathered by any one of 
whom we know or have heard." * * * It is "the 
richest stcjre of current history that was ever col- 
lected," — including " a pretty complete history 
Q>{ every loyal and rebel re^t^iment — lists of political 
prisoners, army and navy officers (regular and 
volunteer), vessels on the blockade, vessels cap- 
tured, foreign (as well as American) editorials, 
extracts of national poems, accounts of battles 
and skirmishes, and thousands of other matters." 
" The Encyrloi);edia affords an index to the whole 
work, which is one of the most complete ever 
conceived and executed, as the history of any 
war." 

In a letter to Gen. Garfield of Ohio, the 
President of the Sanitary Commission (Dr. 



Bellows) further said, " I have watched for years 
its progress — consulted its authorities — and know 
the conscientious thoroughness and method of 
the work. * * * I do not believe that another 
man, competent to this task, could have been 
found in the countrj' — who would have given up 
so man}' years of his life exclusively to the under- 
taking. His peculiar persistency has carried it 
forward through extraordinary difficulties j and 
his character, his pride and his interests guarantee 
its completion. * * * I rnake bold to say 
that it [such work] will never be done again, and 
that Mr. Townsend's peculiar personality is the 
main reason why it is done now, and can alone 
account for the existence of the Record. * * * 
It seems to be almost a providential felicity that 
such a curious and unique Record exists." 

And in a letter to Mr. Townsend, the same 
gentleman (Dr. Bellows) says — " I have so often 
expressed my sense of its public importance ana 
7'alue, that whatever weight belongs to my opinion 
is already in the scale. Thirty years hence, when 
perhaps the History of the War will begin to be 
fitly written, the indispensable importance of 
your Encyclopaedia will be universal!}' acknow- 
ledged. It will then be worth its weight in gold. 
Now, it requires rare skill and experience in 
weighing the value of such materials to estimate 
its importance. * * * i hold it to be quite 
providential thatyou should have had the foresight, 
the disposition, the ability, and the patience to 
undertake and carry so far forward this unique 
undertaking ; and I am profoundly anxious not 
only that you should be enabled to complete it, 
but that it should pass at once into the possession 
of your native city." 

The Hon. John Jay, American Minister in 
Austria, writing to ex-Governor Morgan, says — 
" I am asked to express to you my opinion of 
Mr. Townsend's ' Historical Record and Ency- 
clopaedia of the Great Rebellion, &c.' * * * 
It seems to me quite superfluous to add my tes- 
timony about the value of this work, to that 
of such admirable judges as Dr. Cogswell, 
Gen. Dix, and Mr. Bancroft, but, as I am thus 
requested, I beg leave to say, that I had the oppor- 
tunity of examining a large portion of the Record 
when the volumes were deposited for a while in 
the rooms of the Union League Club, in New 
York ; and that I entirely concurred in the reso- 
lutions adopted by that body, to the effect that, 
in their judgment, it was a work of National im- 
portance and should be the Nation's property." 

" With everybody else who has seen it," says 
Mr. Swinton, author of well known sketches of 
the Civil War, and formerly attached to the New 
York Daily Times — " I think the work of incal- 
culable value to history, and to the country ; and 
it is mortifying to think that it should not quickly 
be taken hold of by those who arc possessed of 
the power or the means. I wish that I had 
either." 

" Those at all conversant with the labor of 
historical research among old manuscripts and 
worm-eaten books, often bearing only remotely 
on the subject on which information is desired," 



says the New York Herald, in one of its latest 
commendator)' allusions to this work, "will com- 
prehend how important Mr. Townsend's 'Record' 
will prove to future generations of writers, in en- 
abling them to cull whatever information they 
may desire on any important point of the civil 
struggle, 7Liit/i the facility tJiat a banker eonsiilts his 
accounts. It has been a labor of love with the 
author, for otherwise he could never have toiled on 
for years, as he has done, without any encourage- 
ment except the knowledge of the benefit he was 
conferring on mankind. Such a work as this 
will lengthen the lives of the great men of the 
future, hy rendering unnecessary the immense 
waste of time which the want of ready and reliable 
information has hitherto imposed on historical 
writers. Some gentlemen recognizing the import- 
ance of this record, have agreed to subscribe to- 
wards a fund of $10,000 to enable Mr. Townsend 
to complete the work he has been so many years 
engaged upon, and we hope that the list will 
soon be completely filled. It is in the interest of 
History, that great guide of humanity, that the 
labors so long and perseveringly carried on 
should be brought to a- successful termination. 
Some fears have been expressed that this work 
would find its way to the British Museum, 
owing to the want of interest manifested in it b}' 
the public, and even by the learned Societies of 
America : but we cannot believe that there is such 
lack of patriotism in our public bodies. The 
materials for American history, which we have 
here gathered together, are peculiarly the property 
of the American people, and on no account 
should this useful National Record be allowed to 
pass into the possession of foreigners." 

" Every event of the struggle, however minute, 
has been placed by Mr. Townsend in one of sev- 
eral scores of huge elephant-sized -volumes, and 
these are accompanied by careful indexes and ana- 
lyses, so that, ataglance, any feature o{ any campaign 
maybe brought to light," says the New York Mer- 
cury. " Incredible labor has been brought to bear 
upon this enterprise ; and the system upon which 
it was prepared, was so philosophic, and compre- 
hensive, tbat the best critics in the land have 
expressed their admiration. We instance Mr. 
Townsend's ' Encyclopaedia of the Great Rebellion' 
as one of the many enterprises calculated to make 
the story of the war imperishable. * * * Such 
achievements should be National property — all 
honor to the patient, patriotic man who under- 
takes to record them !" 

" Now when we turn to our own Revolution, 
or to those of England and France, we may say, 
that no Country can present such a Historical 
Record as that which Mr. Townsend has given 
us from the daily press of this Country," says the 
New York Daily Express. " De Tocqueville 
found in the British Museum upwards of 12,000 
French pamphlets, relating to the French Revolu- 
tion, but we sa)', that neither the British Museum, 
nor the Bibliotheque Imperial of Paris, can ever 
possess such a history or record of e\ents, as this 
admirably-arranged work of Mr. Townsend. 
* * * It will of itself be a guide and index to 



the events of the war; and will enable the future 
historian to bring up the panorama of the great 
contest, with all its striking and varying events 
and incidents. Mr. Townsend has given his sole 
and exclusive exertions towards the accomplish- 
ment of his object, and has placed the Country 
under lasting obligations to him." 

The New York World illustrates its general 
commendation by specific references to the lead- 
ing features of the enterprize under consideration, 
and its remarks were widely copied by European 
journals. The /rV/(/ said— •" There has not been 
a topic discussed, nor has an occurrence trans- 
pired of the slightest National moment, since the 
secession of South Carolina, whereof Mr. Towns- 
end has not secured, not only what in his judg- 
ment he might consider an impartial -^czowwx, but 
almost e7<ery account, which ma)^ have been pub- 
lished at the time, in the city press. That part of 
the Record devoted to military and naval opera- 
tions is of special interest. In it a history of 
every regiment in the Union army, and of many 
in that of the Confederates, is fully and impartially 
given ; when and where they were raised, how 
ofhcered, in what battles engaged, what losses 
they have suffered, and what amount of glory, or 
the reverse, achieved. The navy, and every 
known ship and mariner belonging to it, meets 
with the same amount of minute and honorable 
mention. Officers, and men of both branches of 
the public service, who hav(? notably distinguished 
themselves have their names and deeds inscribed 
on Mr. Townsend's ' Roll of Honor,' and those 
who have been guilty of brutal or dishonorable 
acts, will find themselves handed down to an 
equal, though less enviable immortalit)'. Every 
list of killed, wounded, and prisoners ; of invalids 
in hospitals, and of those who have perished from 
disease, has been collated, analyzed, and as far as 
possible been systematized, so that the fate of 
each individual can be ascertained at a glance. 
Political prisoners have not been forgotten, 
neither have the privateers, nor the blockaders, nor 
in short, anything that can afibrd one particle of 
information, to whoever, now, or hereafter, maj^ 
seek to learn the story of our sad and sanguinar}' 
civil war." 

The New York Evening Post declared, that 
" No work has been compiled, which will convey 
to posterity a more truthful and perfect history 
of the late conflict." And the editors, themselves 
well known in the field of historical research, 
emphatically said, on another occasion, that " It 
is a work oi peculiar interest, in that it is the first 
attempt ever made to collect and arrange for the 
convenient use of future historians the record of 
great events as given from day to day, during 
their occurrence, in the newspaper press." 

The New York World is not less emphatic in 
its commendation, — the editor saying that " This 
work is the most exhaustive collection, from 
which history is made, that has ever been gathered 
together for the use of any Macaula}', Motlej-, 
Prescott, or Froude. No historian ever 3'et had 
so copious a store of material to draw upon. It 
contains, in one hundred admirably arranged 



volumes, the greater part of those details which 
other explorers, in similar fields of research, have 
spent a great part of their litetime in extracting 
from official pigeon-holes, and ferreting out of 
the dust of obscurity." 

The New York Commercial Advertiser says, that 
Mr. Townsend's work " is a monument of per- 
severing industry, and of literary labor, and it 
should never be allowed to leave the Country." 

The New York Times said, that "The work is 
nothing less than the compilation of all the infor- 
mation contained in the New York daily and 
principal weekly papers, from iS6o to 1S70. This 
compilation is declared by trustworthy parties, to 
have been made with care and accuracy ; if so, 
its value is simply incalculable." 

While the foregoing extracts furnish brief indi- 
cations of the value attached, by the New York 
Journals, to the Townsend National Record, the 
sentiment of prominent Journals in other cities, as 
far as their editors have familiarized themselves 
with the contents, are equallv emphatic — as, for 
instance, in Boston and Washington — a few quota- 
tions from whose commentaries must suffice. 

The Boston Fosi, when mentioning the impor- 
tance of historical records of such an eventful 
period, said — "There is one gentleman in the 
United States, Mr. Thomas S. Townsend, of New 
York, who had the foresight, when the war of the 
rebellion commencec^ to arrange a systematical 
plan for making a Record of its successive 
events." 

And the Boston Evening Transcript added 
— " It is a wonderful work, and of great interest 
to all." Other Boston journals expressed similar 
sentiments. 

The Washington Chronicle refers, pointedly, to 
the peculiar value of Townsend's Record, as an 
appendage of the National Government at the 
Capitol. " Those only who are identified with 
Journalism, can understand the extraordinar}- 
usefulness of such a collection," says the editor 
of the Chronicle — adding that " There is not an 
hour, during a session of Congress, when some 
fact, to confirm history or refute misrepresenta- 
tion, is not found necessar}'; and the difficulty of 
obtaining a place, to which immediate and reliable 
reference can be had, is constantly felt. Mr. 
Townsend has supplied this important desidera- 
tum." 

In Europe, as in this country, a sense of the 
utility of this " unique American enterprise " is 
spreading among inquirers anxious to learn par- 
ticulars of the great crisis through which our 
National Government has passed. The iVorthent 
IVhigoi Belfast, Ireland, quoting from an English 
paper, says — "The most singular and interesting 
Record of the war has been compiled by Mr. 
Thomas S. Townsend, of New York," and "The 
value of such a compilation, to a future historian, 
is inestimable " 

Such foreign expressions acquire interest from 
the fact that European opinion, in historical cir- 
cles, is turning towards the expediency oi securing 
the Work for some one of the Libraries, like that of 
the British Museum, as the best possible mode of 



acquiring something like an adequate knowledge 
of the extraordinary political, military and social 
condition of the United States, before and after, as 
well as during the convulsions which threatened 
the disruption of tiie Great Republic. 

The New York Historical Society, after 
thorough examination, by one of its Committees 
and other members, " Resolved, that the New 
York Historical Society acknowledges the ser- 
vices rendered to the Cause of History by Mr. 
Thomas S. Townsend, of this city, in the foresight, 
skill, and perseverance, displayed in the prepara- 
tion of the Historical Record and Encyclopaedia 
of the Great Rebellion." 

And the Union League Club of New York, 
after remarks from various members, passed re- 
solutions declaring that "The great work of Mr. 
Thomas S. Townsend, entitled by him ' Town- 
send's Historical Record and Encyclopaedia of 
the Great Rebellion,' is contained in about One 
Hundred Volumes, and has cost him manj' years 
*of labor, and a large pecuniary expenditure. It 
will, in the opinion of this Club, be invaluable, 
if not indispensable, to the future Historian of the 
sublime struggle through which our Country has 
just passed." 

At a late meeting of citizens, in the Rooms 
of the College of Heraldry in the " Society 
Librar}' Building," in New York, of which the 
Rev. S. Irenseus Prime was Chairman, and at 
which Governor Dix, and several other public 
men were present, speciallv held to "examine the 
Townsend System of Analyzing, Classifjnng and 
Inde.xing, as exemplified ia a hundred folio vol- 
umes of the Historical Record and Encyclopse- 
dia," a resolution was adopted, declaring that 
"that work should become the property of the 
people of the State, whose history is so largely 
embodied in it, if not of the National Govern- 
ment." And one of the peculiar characteristics 
of the work was particularly approved by fur- 
ther resolutions, which declare that " It is highly 
important in all Governmental organizations, 
whether National, State or Municipal ; and in all 
large business corporations, like the great Rail- 
road Companies, for instance, — that the records 
of all transactions shall be so clearl}' analyzed 
and indexed as to enable all inquirers, including 
particularly the public journalists, to ascertain 
quickly, any needful facts, concerning the opera- 
tions of governmental and corporate officers, and 
the nature, progress, and expense of all move- 
ments in which they are engaged : And, there- 
fore, that the iieTO system of recording and analyz- 
ing current events, exemplified by Thomas S. 
Townsend, in his ' Historical Record and Ency- 
clopajdia,' concerning movements and men, in 
civil and military affairs through the Union, during 
the last eventful Decade, would, it generally 
adopted or emulated, form an important epoch in 
the mode of making and preserving Governmoital ana 
Corporate Records, as well as all other historical 
records, by enabling the public to watch carefully, 
the operations which so largely affect the integrity, 
and the financial condition of the community." 

The late Chief Justice Chase (whose last letter, 



written from Washington when he was leaving for 
New York, where he died, related to this Histori- 
cal Record) recently expressed his high apprecia- 
tion of the practical value of this work in furnish- 
ing details on important features of the public 
service. The voluminous "abstract of matters 
connected with the Treasury, during my adminis- 
tration, contained in your valuable compilation, 
is admirably prepared," said the Chief Justice in 
a letter to Mr. Townsend, "and I hope the work 
itself will find an appreciation which it so justly 
merits." And, on another occasion after fully 
examining the volumes of Mr. Townsend's collec- 
tion, the Chief Justice wrote — " I can add nothing 
in commendation of )'our work to what has been 
already said by others. I can onl)' repeat what I 
have already said to you, that it ought to be either 
in the Library of Congress, or in that of the State 
of New York." 

The present Governor of the Slate of New York, 
Gen. John A. Dix, whose attention was earh' at- 
tracted towards the Townsend Record, says — " I 
have watched it in its progress with great interest, 
and a high appreciation of its great value. Fifty 
years from this time it will, undoubtedl}', have a 
value which cannot be estimated — as, indeed, it 
has now." * * * Adding,"! regard it of the 
very greatest importance that this work should be 
preserved in some Public Library." And " I shall 
be happy to use any personal influence I ma}' 
possess, to secure this valuable Work for the State, 
or to aid other gentlemen, if they think it niore 
desirable, to procure an appropriation from Con- 
gress to make tiie purchase, or to raise the neces- 
sary funds by subscription." 

The United States Sanitary Commission had 
ample opportunity for examining and referring to 
this National Record and Encyclopaedia ; and the 
President of that most estimable organization, the 
Rev. Henry W. Bellows, says — " It contains alone 
the full materials for a history of the Rebellion. 
Close ever)' other library or avenue of informa- 
tion, and set the philosophical Motley down with 
this work about him, and he would have every 
thing he needed, to give the world the full pro- 
portions of our Civil War." 

The present Lieutenant Governor of New York, 
General John C. Robinson, after thorough exami- 
nation of the characteristics of the work, said — 
' I sincerely hope it may become the property 
of the State. It affords material for the future 
historian, which can nowhere else be found, and 
as its value is inestimable, it ought to become the 
property of the State or Nation." 

The Hon. Edward McPherson, Clerk of the 
House of Representatives, v/hose official position, 
in connection with inquiries constantly occurring 
about the National Capitol, gives peculiar weight 
to his language, wrote to Mr. Townsend that " It 
is well that some one had the industry, foresight 
and intelligence, to undertake and execute the 
work you prescribed for }'Ourself, and you will 
receive abundant thanks, as well as (I hope) 
adequate remuneration." 

The Hon. S. S. Cox, M. C. from New York- 
judging of the value of such an impartial and 



comprehensive record of the multitudinous events 
of the last decade, says — " I am satisfied beyond 
all doubt of the inestimable importance of Mr. 
Townsend's work." 

The Adjutant-General of the U. S. Army, Gen. 
E. D. Townsend, writes, that "The work Mr. 
Townsend has so carefully prepared, certainly 
merits the commendation bestowed upon it by 
Gen. Dix." 

And the Quartermaster-General of the United 
States Army, General M. C. Meigs, who served 
with such perfect satisfaction through all the 
storms of the late decade, says — " It will be im- 
possible to duplicate Mr. Townsend's work, and 
it must remain the most complete and minute 
journal of the events of the Great Struggle." In 
the words of the distinguished publisher, Putnam, 
" It is not onl}' unique, but must remain so." 

Fev/ men have had better opportunities than 
Col. Frank E. Howe for knowing pniciically \\\& 
value of such a Record as Mr. Townsend has 
prepared. Col. H., nov/ and for several years 
the Special Agent of the Treasury Department in 
New York, was appointed Agent b}' several 
States to superintend the wants and comforts of 
their respective regiments when passing through 
this State on their way to or from the seat of war 
— his successful exertions, gratuitously rendered, 
being highly appreciated b)- the " rank and file " 
as well as by the officers from those States, as 
well as by his fellow-citzens in New York. His 
testimony is therefore specially valuable. At 
the late meeting of citizens for examining the 
Townsend Collection in the Society Library 
Building, (elsewhere mentioned,) he is reported 
in the printed proceedings as having " spoken of 
the peculiar and varied opportunities he had 
had of knowing the character of the work 
almost from its commencement, as various official 
dutie*s during the last ten years had led him often 
to seek information from the Townsend Record, 
which information was always readih obtained, as 
almost every important fact may be ascertained 
respecting every regiment and vessel employed 
■for or against the National Government, during 
the Rebellion. He considers the Townsend 
System very desirable for application in the 
records of all Governmental or Corporation 
transactions." 

On the same occasion, Mr. George W. Clarke, 
a member of the Legislature, said, among other 
things, that he not only thought that this New 
System was worthy of adoption in State and 
Municipal affairs, but that Townsend's great 
National Record, now under examination, which 
thus first exemplifies the value of that system, 
should become the property of the people of the 
State whose history is so largely embodied in it, 
if not of the National Government ; and a resolu- 
tion which he framed to this effect was unani- 
mously adopted. 

Mr. J. D. Warner, among his remarks, added to 
the suggestion of Mr. C. by saying that Towns- 
end's Record concerns not alone our own State, 
but all ike Slates — supplying a mass of well- 
digested information concerning all sections of the 



lO 



Union, that cannot possibly be obtained now in 
any other place ; concluding b}- remarking, how- 
ever, that the work is eminently National in every 
respect — embracing records concerning all the 
Sia.[es, perfi'itlv impartial as well as thorough con- 
cerning all matters of political doctrine and 
sectional interests or feelings. 

Senator Banks, of Albany, lately referred to the 
important interests which the State of New York 
has in common with all the other States of the 
Union (though to a greater extent, owing to its 
preponderance of population, &c.), and presented 
a memorial on the subject from many well-known 



citizens, in which the memorialists express their 
sense of the "great historical and statistical value 
of Townscnd's Record, especially to the State of 
New York," and express hearty concurrence in 
the printed testimonials annexed, concerning its 
"value and importance." The paper referred to 
by Senator Banks was signed \>y Wm. C. Bryant, 
John A. Dix, E. C. Benedict, Jackson S. Schultz, 
J. Watts De Peyster, Charles K. Graham, S. 
Irenajus Prime, Henry W. Bellows, Charles P. 
Kirkland, E. D. Morgan, Charles P. Daly, Erastus 
Brooks, and other citizens. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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